Circular Economy approaches for the electronics sector in Nigeria

Over half a million tonnes of discarded electronic appliances are improperly processed in Nigeria every year, threatening the country's environment and the health of approximately 100,000 informal workers in the recycling industry.
With support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Government of Nigeria has joined forces with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and partners to turn the tide on e-waste under the “Circular Economy Approaches for the Electronics Sector in Nigeria” project. Led by UNEP and supported by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency of Nigeria (NESREA), the $15-million initiative brought together players from the Government, the private sector, and civil society to design and operationalise a financially self-sustaining circular economy (CE) for electronics in Nigeria.
The project aims to stimulate a CE pilot through an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme that serves as a model for countries facing similar challenges. EPR is an integrated waste management approach that extends the responsibility of manufacturers to the entire lifecycle of their product, particularly to the end-of-life treatment. By applying this approach, the producers will be obliged to commission for collecting, pre-treating and recycling their originated e-waste. 
The project creates synergies among pre-existing elements of an EPR system in Nigeria to establish a sustainable management system and financing mechanism for EPR implementation. Establishing and enforcing a sustainable approach in Nigeria with supporting regulations and legally binding requirements is expected to recover and re-introduce usable materials into the value chain, dispose of hazardous e-waste streams in an environmentally sound manner, and create safe employment for Nigerian e-waste workers.
 

Abuja, 5th January – The Nigerian Government has taken an important step towards sustainable waste management today, with amendments to national environmental regulations to tackle the country’s growing e-waste problem.

Nigeria is the leading importer of electrical and electronic equipment on the African continent, processing over half a million tons of discarded electronics each year. Approximately 100,000 people work in the country’s electronics recycling sector, providing an important source of livelihoods. However, this comes at a cost, as breaking down electronic equipment releases persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and mercury, harmful chemicals which pose risks to human health and the environment.

Once exposed e-waste processers can suffer a host of health problems, including respiratory and dermatological issues, eye infections and lower than-average life expectancies. But it’s not just processers who are at risk – POPs and mercury can travel far from their point of release, bioaccumulating in the atmosphere, water and soil, without breaking down in the environment. With traces of electronic waste found thousands of miles away, this makes e-waste a transboundary health concern, reaching as far as the Arctic.

"E-waste is growing massively, projected to reach 74.7 million tons globally in 2030. Having the right structures in place now is key for the future."

The amended regulations were made possible by the Circular Economy Approaches for the Electronics Sector in Nigeria project, a Global Environment Facility-funded initiative led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and executed by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency of Nigeria (NESREA). The project, which provided a detailed roadmap and implementation plan for enforcing the regulations, strengthens Nigeria’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system, laying the legal basis for its enforcement.

The legislation builds on lessons learnt from past, voluntary EPR schemes, with a focus on ensuring buy-in from producers. 

"The revised regulations bind all manufacturers and importers of electrical equipment, e-waste collection centres, and recycling facilities to register with the E-waste Producer Responsibility Organisation Nigeria [EPRON], marking an essential step towards the operationalisation of a financially self-sustaining circular electronics network,” NESREA Director General Professor Aliyu Jauro said.

"EPR has been on Nigeria’s waste management agenda since the gazetting of the Regulations in 2009. We are making progress.”

With manufacturers, importers and retailers now legally and financially responsible for the management of their waste products, the EPR scheme promotes resource conservation and increased recycling, while encouraging manufacturers to design eco-friendly alternatives. Importers are now no longer allowed to import non-functional electronics into the country.

EPRON Executive Secretary Ibukun Faluyi said the organisation’s work has been at the heart of the EPR system in Nigeria, adding “the support from key private sector actors such as Hewlett-Packard (HP), DELL, Phillips, Microsoft and Deloitte has been valuable to this effort.”

“We now need all manufacturers, assemblers, importers and distributors in the system to come on board and take up their responsibilities to manage entire lifecycle of their products in an environmentally and socially sound manner,” Mrs. Faluyi said.

“The African Alliance of producers – of which Dell, HP, Microsoft are members – is proud to be a part of the solution, supporting NESREA and EPRON in the successful implementation of the Nigeria e-waste EPR system,” Ruben Janse Van Rensburg, Head of Sustainability at HP’s Africa Office said.

“It is of utmost importance that all obligated parties participate fairly in the e-waste collection and recycling system in order to manage e-waste in a sustainable way.”

To complement the project’s progress on e-waste management, the project has linked EPRON with European producer responsibility organisations to improve their understanding of how fees can be paid and managed to support recycling and the environmentally sound management of e-waste. Livelihoods, working conditions and health and safety standards for e-waste workers have been improved through trainings and the distribution of personal protective equipment. In addition, UNEP has facilitated regional and global networking and knowledge-sharing events on establishing and operationalising circular economy approaches that mandate producer responsibility, establishing a basis for the development of producer responsibility schemes across Africa.

“E-waste is growing massively, projected to reach 74.7 million tons globally in 2030," said Eloise Touni, UNEP Task Manager.

“Having the right structures in place now is key for the future. As one of the first middle-income countries in Africa and globally to regulate for mandatory producer responsibility, Nigeria is laying the foundations for the initiative to be upscaled when the project closes next year, blazing a trail for others to follow.”

NOTES TO EDITORS 

About NESREA 

Established under the Federal Ministry of Environment in 2007,  the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has responsibility for the protection and development of the environment, biodiversity conservation and sustainable development of Nigeria’s natural resources in general and environmental technology including coordination and liaison with relevant stakeholders within and outside Nigeria on matters of enforcement of environmental standards, regulations, rules, laws, policies and guidelines. 

About the Global Environment Facility 

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a multilateral fund dedicated to confronting biodiversity loss, climate change, pollution, and strains on land and ocean health. Its grants, blended financing, and policy support helps developing countries address their biggest environmental priorities and adhere to international environmental conventions. Over the past three decades, the GEF has provided more than $22 billion in financing and mobilized another $120 billion for more than 5,000 national and regional projects.

About UN Environment Programme (UNEP) 

UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.  

For more information, contact 

Eloise Touni, Programme Officer, GEF Chemicals and Waste Portfolio, UNEP

Prof. Aliyu Jauro, Director General and Chief Executive Officer, NESREA 

According to Africa Waste Management Outlook, 125 million tons of municipal solid waste was generated in Africa in 2012, and this amount is expected to double by 2025. Electronic waste (e-waste) is a particularly important and rapidly growing waste stream due to the severe pollution it creates, notably producing mercury, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from flame retardants, dioxins, and furans. This project connects and operationalizes pre-existing elements of a multi-stakeholder Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system in Nigeria. EPR is an innovative policy and financial instrument that requires manufacturers, importers, and retailers of electronic products to be physically and financially responsible for the waste management of their products, but which has thus far struggled to get off the ground in developing countries. Collaborating with a private sector-led Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) on electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) in Nigeria and local and international stakeholders, the project addresses specific gaps identified by each partner, and has developed the Guidance Document for the Implementation of the EPR Programme for the Electrical/Electronics Sector in Nigeria (the Guidance for EPR implementation). The project is helping to design and operate a financially self-sustaining circular economy approach for electronic products in Nigeria.

E-waste collection and recycling is a key source of income for many poor families; however, the informal nature of their operations exacerbates global pollution and toxic health effects. Key lessons learned are connecting and building on existing initiatives to establish a sustainable financing mechanism and management system for e-waste under the Guidance for EPR implementation. At the same time, the project also created opportunities to collaborate with the informal sector, and scaled up efforts to build a circular economy in Nigeria and beyond by collaborating with national and international stakeholders. As a result, the project contributes to reducing global pollution from e-waste, and reducing health impacts on local people in Nigeria. For the long term, the project will contribute to increasing healthy and safer employment in Nigeria, and providing a global model for a circular economy in the electronics sector in developing countries.